US President Donald Trump has criticised his former lawyer Alina Habba Mildon for signing a contract worth more than $50 million with the family of Venezuelan banker Julio Herrera Velutini, whom Trump later pardoned. Trump called the arrangement 'obnoxious and outrageous' and said it was not acceptable.
Trump made the comments to reporters at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida on Saturday.
According to The New York Times, Habba Mildon signed a four-year contract in October 2025 with a company owned by the Herrera family while she was the acting US attorney for New Jersey, a position Trump had appointed her to after she served as his personal lawyer. The contract guaranteed her more than $50 million over four years, including an annual salary of $10 million and bonuses. Habba Mildon left the acting attorney role in December after a court ruled she could not legally serve, and then took another job at the Justice Department as a senior adviser to the attorney general.
On January 1, she officially began working for the Herrera family while still employed by the Justice Department. Two weeks later, on January 15, Trump granted Herrera a full presidential pardon. Herrera had been accused of bribing former Puerto Rico Governor Wanda Vazquez Garced, and had been facing federal bribery charges before reaching a plea deal with prosecutors in August 2025.
Trump was reportedly furious when he learned the size of the contract. The New York Times reported that he told aides and allies Habba Mildon should donate some of the money to his future presidential library or another Trump-related organisation. He also reportedly told at least one ally that the Herrera family should stop paying her the remainder of the contract. Speaking on Saturday, Trump said he told Habba Mildon he did not want her to be paid, describing the situation as 'terrible'.
Habba Mildon has denied having any role in securing Herrera's pardon. Last week, she said she had never been paid to obtain a pardon, had never discussed one with anyone at the White House or the Justice Department, and had never worked to secure a pardon for anyone. The company that hired her, Concord Partners, has no public profile and its business activities remain unclear, according to The New York Times. The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The deal raises questions about potential conflicts of interest involving a former presidential lawyer who held federal prosecutorial and advisory roles while contracted to the family of a man later pardoned by the president.
- It highlights the lack of transparency in the presidential pardon process and the financial arrangements that can surround it.
- The episode adds to ongoing scrutiny of Trump's associates and his use of executive clemency.
Background
Alina Habba Mildon was a personal lawyer for Donald Trump before he appointed her as acting US attorney for New Jersey. After leaving that role, she became a senior adviser to the US attorney general. While serving in these roles, she signed a lucrative contract with the family of Venezuelan banker Julio Herrera Velutini, who was indicted in a bribery case involving a former Puerto Rico governor. Trump granted Herrera a full presidential pardon shortly after Habba Mildon began working for his family.
Key Perspectives
Donald Trump: Called the contract 'totally obnoxious and outrageous' and said it is not acceptable; he told Habba Mildon he did not want her to be paid and suggested she donate some money to his future presidential library.
Alina Habba Mildon: Denied having any role in securing Herrera's pardon, saying she never discussed a pardon with anyone at the White House or Justice Department, and never worked to obtain a pardon for anyone.
What to Watch
- Whether the Justice Department or any ethics body investigates the arrangement for potential conflicts of interest.
- Whether Trump takes any further action regarding Habba Mildon or the contract.
- Whether new details emerge about Concord Partners, the company that hired Habba Mildon.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 11 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedTrump criticised former lawyer Alina Habba Mildon over a deal worth more than $50 million with a banker’s family.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “US President Donald Trump has criticised one of his former lawyers for signing a contract worth more than $50 million with the family of a Venezuelan banker whom Trump later pardoned.”
- SupportedTrump called the arrangement “obnoxious and outrageous” and said it was not acceptable.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: ““I thought it was totally obnoxious and outrageous, and it’s not acceptable,” Trump told reporters at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida on Saturday.”
- SupportedHabba Mildon signed a four-year contract in October 2025 with a company owned by the Herrera family while she was acting US attorney for New Jersey.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “Habba Mildon signed a four-year contract in October 2025 with a company owned by the family of Julio Herrera Velutini”
- SupportedThe contract guaranteed Habba Mildon more than $50 million over four years, including a $10 million annual salary and bonuses.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “Habba Mildon’s contract with his family’s company guaranteed her more than $50 million over four years, including an annual salary of $10 million and bonuses.”
- SupportedHabba Mildon began working for the banker’s family on January 1 while still employed by the Justice Department.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “On January 1 , Habba Mildon officially began working for the banker’s family while still employed by the Justice Department.”
- SupportedTrump granted Herrera a full presidential pardon on January 15, two weeks after Habba Mildon began working for his family.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “Two weeks later, on January 15 , Trump granted Herrera a full presidential pardon.”
- SupportedHerrera had been accused of bribing former Puerto Rico Governor Wanda Vazquez Garced and faced federal bribery charges before reaching a plea deal in August 2025.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “He was facing federal bribery charges in the US before reaching a plea deal with prosecutors in August 2025.”
- SupportedTrump was reportedly furious about the contract’s size and, according to The New York Times, told aides and allies Habba Mildon should donate some of the money to his future presidential library or another Trump-related organisation.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “The New York Times reported that he told aides and allies that Habba Mildon should donate some of the money to his future presidential library or another Trump-related organisation.”
- SupportedTrump reportedly told at least one ally that the Herrera family should stop paying Habba Mildon the remainder of the contract.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “He also reportedly told at least one ally that Herrera’s family should stop paying her the remainder of the contract.”
- SupportedOn Saturday, Trump said he had told Habba Mildon he did not want her to be paid and described the situation as “terrible”.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “Speaking on Saturday, Trump said he told Habba Mildon he did not want her to be paid, describing the situation as “terrible”.”
- SupportedHabba Mildon denied any role in securing Herrera’s pardon and said she had never been paid to obtain one, discussed one with anyone at the White House or Justice Department, or worked to secure one for anyone.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “Last week, she said she had never been paid to obtain a pardon, had never discussed one with anyone at the White House or the Justice Department and had never worked to secure a pardon for anyone.”
- Partly supportedThe Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters.”